Piston-ring squeezer



L. V. CLAIRE. PI'STON RING SQUEE Z ER. APPLICATION FILED. AUG.9, .1919.

Patented Mar. 30, 1920.

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LOUIS VINCENT CLAIRE, OF GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN, AElSIGNQB, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, T0 VICTORY RING COMPRESSOR COMPANY, OF GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN, A CORPQRATION OF MICHIGAN.

PISTON-RING SQUEEZER.

Application filed August 9,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LOUIS VINCENT CLAIRE, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Grand Rapids, in the county of Kent andSt-ate of Michigan, h a ve invented certain. new and useful Improve ments in Piston-Ring Squeezers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a "full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to an appliance for use in squeezing piston rings into the grooves of cylinders so that the same may be readily entered into the cylinders adapt- 'ed to receive such pistons andrlngs. Piston rings have a certain tendency to spring outward. this being for the purpose of causing the ring to bear against theinner walls of cylinders and make a tight seal against the passage of mixed air and fuel, or of exhaust gases from above the piston to below the same, and against the passage of lubricating oil from below to the combustion chamber above the piston. This tendency to spring outward normally causes the ring to extend at some points beyond the sides of the piston with a resultant difficulty in placing the piston equipped with rings in a cylinder. It is an object and purpose of the present invention to make a very simple, yet effective appliance with which the rings placed on a piston may be squeezed into position so that the same may easily enter a cylinder and to hold them in such position during the time that the piston is being placed in the cylinder. A further object of the invention is to produce an ap pliance of this character which may be used with any and all of different sizes of rings and cylinders commonly used with motor vehicle internal combustion engine, working as well with one size as another. Many other objects and purposes, together with novel constructions and arrangements of parts for attaining the same will appear as understanding of the invention is had from the following description, taken in connec tion with the accompanying drawing, in which, I

Figure 1 is a plan view of the appliance as it is used in connection with a piston and Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 30, 1920.

1919. Serial No. 316,314.

rings, the appliance being in open position ready to squeeze the rings.

' Fig. is an elevation of the shown in Fig. 1, and

Fig. 3 is a :lragmentary horizontal section taken through the main squeezing band of the appliance.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the different views of the drawmg.

In the construction of the appliance a band 1 of sheet metal is used and bent into approximately circular form, one end over lapping the other, the inner end being indiated at 2. Ihe opposite end is turned outvardly as indicated at 3 and "from the upper and lower edges thereof, ears 4 are bent the same lying just outside of theband 1 as shown. From adjacent the inner end 2 of the band for substantially a'semi-circum- :ference, hooks 5 are bent from'the band both at the upper and lower edges thereof whereby a plurality of spaced pairs of hooks are made between which the outer end of the band passes; 'It will be noted that the hooks are located relatively close together, in fact that there are six pairs of hooks in What is less than one-half of the length of the band. This relatively close location of the hooks serves an important "function in the present construction. Pistonswhich are used in internal combustion construction "engines are of many different sizes between possiblesize between the two limits of sizes one the largest and the other the smallest which this tool can accommodate. Accordingly, a relatively large number of the hooks are used, placed relatively close together so that there is an overlapping of the sizes to which the band maybe contracted when the operating handles are engaged with consecutive pairs of hooks; and the smallest size to which the band may be contracted when the detachable operating handle is engaged with a certain pair ofv hooks 5 is smaller than the largest size which the band may take when said operating handle is engaged. with the next adjacent pair of hooks which are to be used to contract the band to a still smaller size. Likewise the largest size which the band may take when the detachable operating handle is engaged with said certain pair of hooks 5 is larger than the smallest size which the band may be contracted to when engaged with the ears next adjacent to the selected pair of ears which are used for larger sizes of piston, there being an overlapping of the sizes so that any and all of possible sizes of pistons and rings between the two pie-determined largest and smallest sizes may be taken care of by this tool.

Two operating handles 6 and 7 cross each other and are pivotally connected at such crossing point as indicated at 8. The handle 6 beyond the pivot is extended to make an arm 6 which passes between the ears 4 heretofore described, and the end of the arm (3 is fashioned with pintles 9 to enter suitable openings in the ears, thus making a pivotal connection therewith. The other handle 7 has an arm 7 extending beyond the pivot 8 which terminatesin an end 10 turned around a pin 11 which 1s of a length greater than the distance between the upper and lower hooks 5 of any pair of hooks so that the pin may be placed back thereof in the operation of the appliance.

In the use of the appliance, the band is placed around the piston, indicated at 12 at a point where the rings 13 come. I have shown the rings as of the ordinary snap 10 is placed back of a pair of hooks 5 and the handles 6 and 7 moved toward each other, this causing a contraction of the band and consequent squeezing of the ring or rings under the band so that the outer surfaces thereof lie in substantially the same planes with the outer surface of the piston. The piston may be inserted in the upper end of a cylinder and when the band 1 comes against the cylinder block it is only necessary to strike the piston on its upper end and thus operate it downwardly through the band, the squeezed ring or rings readily entering the cylinder, as is obvious.

This structure of squeezing appliance may be used with different sizes of pistons and rings, the only difference in operation being that the pin 11 will engage with different hooks 5. The provision of several pairs of books 5 spaced apart from each other but close enough together to accommodateany and all diameters of pistons and ringsbtween the smallest and largest sizes which the band will take permits a wide range of use of the appliance as to sizes of pistons. In fact the appliance made in one size is of substantially universal application so far as pistons for internal combustion engines are concerned; and for some engines which make use of larger pistons, there is only need to make the appliance in larger size, in which case a still wider range of use will follow.

The ronstructiim is very simple in structure, durable and very eilicient in use. It has been thoroughly tried and tested practically and fully serves the purposes for which it is designed. I

I claim:

1. An appliance of the character described, comprising substantially cir rlar metal band having overlapping ends,v

handle pivotally connected at its inner end to the outer end of the band, a second handle plvotally connected to the first handle, said handles being pivotallyconnected at a point between their ends, means on the band may be contracted to any and all sizes between. the largest and smallest size which said. band may take when operatively connected with the handles, substantially as described.

2. An appliance of the character described, comprising a flat band adapted to be placed around a piston and cover a ring or rings carried by the piston, said band having overlapping ends whereby it may be used with different sizes'of pistons, manually operated means connected to one end of the band, and a plurality of spaced apart hooks on the band near the other end thereof with which said means may have detachable connection, said means being operable to contract the band to any and all sizes between the largest and smallest size of the band, substantially as and for the purposes described.

In testimony whereof I ailix my signature.

LOUIS VINCENT CLAIRE. 

